Bleeding Heart
by Warrior Phoenix
Summary: The world is not what it appears to be. There are mysterious beings lurking in the shadows that prey on humans. But the real enemies are the ones that have been left alone to long... Lucy Heartfilia, your average high school student, starts noticing that more and more people are being murdered every day, and has just the slightest feeling that someone is watching her...


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.

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><p><strong>Bleeding Heart<strong>

_Inspired by Kowareta1468's "Bleeding Mascara"_

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**Chapter 1**

It was a bright and beautiful afternoon in the humble town of Magnolia. Lucy Heartfilia, student from the town's infamous high school Fairy Tail High, was heading her way to the Late Latte café, a small coffee shop on the outskirts of town. Lucy balanced along the canal until the wooden building slipped into view.

Jumping off the canal, she ran the rest of the way to the café. Although she was still a good distance away from the main entrance, the swirling redolence of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods came on the updraft and blended with the buttercups sprouting up in pots just outside the store; gently tickling her nose with its pleasant scent.

The storekeeper saw her push open the door and waiter immediately guided her to her usual seat by the window. The staff in the shop had grown used to her presence; after all, she came here almost every day. Lucy smiled at the storekeeper, as she ordered her usual without sparing the menu a glance.

The storekeeper turned around, snatching a cup from the cupboard and placing it under the coffee machine. His fingers danced across the numerous buttons as he grabbed a plate and teaspoon with his free hand. The noisy whirr of machinery hummed in the background, and as foam settled into the cup, he whisked it onto the plate; a madeleine nestled on the side. With of a flick his wrist, he sprinkled a thin layer of coffee powder onto the snow white foam with practiced ease before sending the cappuccino on its way to her table.

"Thank you," Lucy smiled at the waiter as she began to sip the warm drink. "Perfect, as always." She said sweetly.

"Our pleasure." The waiter bowed slightly. Suddenly, he looked as though as he had just recalled something important. "Have you read today's newspaper yet?"

"I don't think so," Lucy replied. "Why do you ask?" she inquired.

The waiter pulled out a copy of Fiore's most famous newspaper, Fiore Daily, out of his back pocket and unfurled the bundle to the front page. He handed it to Lucy, "Read here. It seems that there have been some recent murders in Magnolia."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Murders?" she grasped the newspaper tighter, immediately drawn into the article.

_Last night, [it said] at 1:13 AM, Lyon Bastia, a student from Lamia Scale Academy, found a dead body on Redmond Street. He claimed to have seen a dark figure looming over the body, and when it saw him, it disappeared into the nearby woods. The body appears to have been stabbed, and has suffered severe blood loss. Though there were only minor traces of blood near the corpse. Police are taking careful measures and are keeping Lyon on the suspect list since he was the only one near the body when officials arrived._

_To avoid future murders, we suggest that when traveling anywhere that you bring at least one or two people with you, and stay away from woodsy and/or shadowy areas such as alleys. If you see this mysterious figure, please contact the police right away._

Lucy was speechless. "Oh my…" were the only words the managed to escape her lips.

"It is quite a lot to take in," The waiter nodded in agreement. "However, many people believe that it is a hoax."

"A hoax?" The blonde furrowed her eyebrows. "I certainly wish it was." _I better be careful heading home tonight._

Lucy finished the rest of her cappuccino, stacked the homework she was working on in a neat pile, and finally rose to go. She thanked the storekeeper, and left the Late Latte Café.

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><p>"Ah, I'm so exhausted." Lucy yawned loudly the next morning as she walked to school with Levy. "I pulled all-nighters to finish that English report."<p>

"Lucy, that isn't due until next week." Levy sighed. "Besides, you know Macao, he'll probably forget about the due date and everyone can sneakily turn it in five days late."

"I like to finish things early, Levy. Makes things easier for me."

Levy laughed. "Just don't overwork yourself."

"I won't, I won't." the blonde reassured her friend. She turned to Levy, suddenly looking rather anxious. "Have you heard about the recent murders in Magnolia?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," Levy nodded solemnly. "I heard there was another one this morning. Around 1 AM."

Lucy simply nodded in reply, and the two remained silent the rest of the way to school.

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><p>"After some stretching, I want all of you to run two laps!" Jet, the gym teacher, yelled. "Try not to walk! I want you all to build up your endurance!"<p>

There were simultaneous groans from the majority of the class, Lucy included. It wasn't that she hated running – she liked to jog and even ran a marathon once – but having to work out so early in the morning just wasn't her cup of tea. She sighed, and positioned herself to do some aerobic stretches. In the middle of some lunges, she glanced around at her classmates.

Gray Fullbuster, a good friend of her best friend Natsu – though he preferred the term rival – was jogging in place, looking rather anxious to get started. After all, he was one of the best runners in the school, though he never planned on joining the track team, much to Jet's disappointment. Beside him was Erza Scarlet, who in Lucy's opinion was everything she wanted to be; beautiful and smart…though she didn't want the scarlet haired teen's tendency to beat up anyone who angered her. Lucy watched as Erza easily bended her leg above her head in a way that seemed impossible, while she thought about her own flexibility skills

"I want you all the line up at the starting line!" Jet shouted. Slowly, the students picked themselves up and lined up. "Remember, two laps!" and with that, Jet picked up the bright orange whistle around his neck and blew into it. "Go!"

As everyone started running, Lucy noticed that Gray instantly pulled ahead, Erza slowly catching up. Halfway through the run, the two kept a good 200 meters away from everyone else. Lucy, having run a bit more than most students, was just behind a member of the track team who she did not know, breathing steadily but starting to gasp for breath.

At the end of the run, Lucy panted hard, grasping her knees until her knuckles turned white. She glanced up as she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. Erza and Gray didn't seem tired at all.

"How…do…you run…so fast?" Lucy panted, slowly making her way to them through the crowd of exhausted students. "What are you? A cheetah in disguise?"

Gray laughed as he drank from his canteen. "I jog every day, Lucy. Not like you who only runs once and a while."

Lucy scowled at his last remark. "I'll have you know I ran a marathon before."

"So have I." Gray said bluntly.

"Why the long face? Did you come in second place?" Lucy joked.

"Nah," Gray waved his hand dismissively. "I came in fifth."

Lucy's eyes widened at that. "Fifth? But you're the fastest runner!"

"In Fairy Tail High." The black haired teen corrected. "There's this one guy from Sabertooth Academy that is so ridiculously fast that it's insane."

"What's his name?"

"Don't remember." Gray shrugged, screwing the cap back onto his canteen. "Well, see ya in English Class." He waved, and disappeared off the field in the crowd of students.

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><p>Two hours later after Math and Social Studies, Lucy hastily made her way to Macao's Honors English Class. Her locker always got jammed around fourth period, and it didn't help that the English classrooms were on the whole other side of the school. Slipping into her desk just as the bell rung, Lucy let out a sigh of relief.<p>

"Alright class." Macao said loudly, taking a meter stick and slapping it against the white board. "Today, we will be doing a writing project."

Lucy smiled to herself. She loved to write, after all, she had always dreamed of becoming a famous novelist. Content that the class had actually started off pretty well, she pulled out her English notebook, ready to take in everything.

"Since October is near, I want all of you to right a short horror story." Macao said. "Nothing too bloody, keep it school appropriate." A group of students Lucy liked to call the "horror fanatic club" all sighed in disappointment. "Now remember, you can be creative and write about whatever you want, but I would prefer if you choose something the usual horror stories have. Werewolves, vampires, ghosts, witches, etcetera." Macao explained. "After you finish your short story, I would like you to write a report about the origin of the topic you chose. However, if you make up your own creature or myth, create a background to go with it."

Lucy quickly jotted down some possible ideas in her notebook, happy that Macao appeared to be actually teaching today. Most of the time he seemed to tell the class the agenda and then go back to working on his computer.

"Alright, I want you all to brainstorm some ideas and start writing a basic plotline." Macao said. "You can work with a partner if you would like, but you both have to write a separate report." And with that, Macao returned to his desk and began typing who-knows-what on his computer.

Lucy sighed as she looked at the ideas she listed in her notebook. She had written down so many that she didn't know what she wanted to write about! She glanced at Erza, hoping that maybe she would be willing to partner up with her. The blonde turned around to ask Erza, but saw her already talking to Gray about something.

"…not a good idea…after all…be mad…"

She blinked for a few seconds. _What are they talking about? Who will be mad?_

"Erza," Lucy asked, startling her a bit. "Do you want to be my partner?"

"Uh...okay." Erza replied.

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><p>"So, what are you writing about, Lucy?" Levy asked during lunch. "I'm writing about werewolves. For some reason, the fascinate me."<p>

"Ghosts." Lucy replied. "But I never knew you liked werewolves."

Levy laughed. "Oh Lucy, I'm a lot more different on the inside. I actually quite like horror stories."

"Who doesn't?"

"I don't." I familiar voice grumbled, taking the seat across from her. Lucy looked up to see Gray.

"Why? Are you scared of them?" Lucy teased.

Gray picked at a lettuce leaf in his salad. "No," he replied monotone. "They're boring, that's all."

Lucy frowned, thinking that she would've gotten more out of him. "How so?" she inquired, trying to look natural.

"Dunno." Gray replied boredly. "Just not my taste, I guess."

She frowned deeper, and decided to brush it off and change the topic. "So…where's Natsu?" she asked, glancing around the cafeteria for a glimpse of his salmon pink hair.

"Right here!" a cheerful voice exclaimed.

"Kyaah!"

"What's so scary Luce?" Natsu asked, taking a seat next to Gray. "I just said hi."

Lucy grabbed her shoulders in an attempt to stop shivering. "You surprised me you idiot!" she huffed before stabbing her fork into a cherry tomato.

Gray winced, and brushed at something on his cheek. "Stop spraying tomato juice everywhere." He scowled. "You're going to get my shirt dirty."

"Well sorry, Mr. Clean."

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><p>"Honestly, Natsu has always been an idiot, but I never thought he could be <em>this <em>dumb." Lucy groaned as she and Levy made their way back home. "I'm surprised we managed to finish that science experiment, let alone the lab report!"

"You can never tell with someone like him." The blunette snickered. "You must like him because of that."

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face Levy, her face an unhealthy shade of red. "What?! What do you mean? I don't like him! Of course not! He's my best friend! And…"

"Calm, Lucy." Levy instructed. "It's okay to admit you like someone."

"I don't like him!" Lucy shouted.

"Try as you might, but everyone knows already."

"Levy!"

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><p>AN: GrayLu is not my most favorite ship - I am am a NaLu shipper - but I figured I should change up my writing a bit. I also published this on Wattpad, because my friend told me to get an account. My username is ForgottenStarfall.


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